BILL ANALYSIS
SB 747
Page 1
Date of Hearing: July 7, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
SB 747 (Romero) - As Amended: June 25, 2009
SENATE VOTE : 39-0
SUBJECT : Career technical education: pilot preapprentice
aerospace machining program.
SUMMARY : Establishes a pilot preapprentice aerospace machining
program (Pilot Program) until January 15, 2012. Specifically,
this bill :
1) Makes various findings and declarations regarding the
importance of the aerospace industry to California's
economy, the growing workforce needs of the aerospace
industry, and the role of hands-on high school curriculum
in providing students with an avenue to higher education in
related disciplines and to skilled, high-wage employment.
2) Establishes the Pilot Program to provide career
technical education (CTE) to high school pupils in the form
of machining and aerospace manufacturing and specifies
related green technologies curriculum requirements.
3) Provides that the Pilot Program shall be funded through
private nonprofit and public funds, specifically federal
funds made available to the states in the form of
competitively awarded community-based job training grants
from the Employment and Training Administration within the
Department of Labor, as well as funds made available as
part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
(Recovery Act). Provides that all funds will be deposited
into the Machinist Investment Fund (Fund).
4) Provides that the Pilot Program and the Fund shall be
administered by the California Labor and Workforce
Development Agency (CLWDA). Provides that implementation
of the Pilot Program is contingent upon receipt of
sufficient federal funding.
5) Clarifies that nothing in the bill shall be construed to
mandate how local workforce investment boards (WIBs) spend
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Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds, including funds made
available through the Recovery Act.
6) Establishes Legislative intent that the Pilot Program
have as its goal the development of an industry-based
sector strategy to address labor needs in the manufacturing
industry generally and in the aerospace industry in
particular, and encourages the California Workforce
Investment Board to work in collaboration with WIBs,
industry, and individual California Community Colleges
(CCCs) to seek and apply for funds for related
industry-based sector strategies.
7) Provides that CCCs, in partnership with WIBs, employers,
and high schools, shall apply for the competitively awarded
Pilot Program grants.
8) Provides that the CCC Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) shall
develop Pilot Program curriculum in aerospace technology,
and machining technology generally (model curriculum).
Provides that the model curriculum shall meet the standard
for the awarding upon its conclusion of a National
Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) certificate.
Provides that CCCs participating in the Pilot Program shall
either adopt the model curriculum developed by the CCCCO or
adopt and alternative curriculum that meets the standard
for NIMS certification.
9) Provides that the CLWDA shall, in consultation with the
CCCCO, review and rank all applications from CCCs for
grants under the Pilot Program based on several outlined
criteria.
10) Provides that CCCs selected for receipt of Pilot Program
grants shall consult with area high schools to determine
whether the instruction shall occur on the high school
campus, at a regional occupation center or program (ROC/P),
or at the CCC campus.
11) Provides that, to the degree consistent with federal
guidelines, CCCs shall reserve 10% of the funds received
for an evaluation. Provides that the evaluation is to be
submitted to the CCCCO, and provides for several outlined
evaluation components.
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12) Provides that this bill shall remain in effect until
January 1, 2015, unless a statute is enacted before January
1, 2015, that extends or deletes that date.
EXISTING LAW authorizes the each county superintendent of
schools, with the consent of the State Board of Education (SBE),
to establish and maintain at least one ROC/P in the county to
provide education in CTE courses; requires the CCC Board of
Governors (BOG) to assist economic and workforce regional
development centers and consortia, including K-12 schools and
ROC/Ps, to improve linkages and CTE pathways between high
schools and CCC.
FISCAL EFFECT : On the prior version of this bill, the Senate
Appropriations Committee estimates, based on information from
CCCCO, the individual campus costs of operating a Pilot Program
to be approximately $500,000 to $600,000. Assuming five
campuses were awarded a grant, total costs would range from $2.5
million to $3 million. The bill does not specify the size of
the grant award or the number of grants to be allocated.
COMMENTS : Second Committee of Reference : This bill was heard
and approved by the Assembly Education Committee on June 30,
2009. The Assembly Education Committee recommended several
amendments, which the author has agreed to accept in this
Committee. Those amendments are outlined at the end of this
analysis.
Purpose of this bill : According to the author, "Currently there
is a crisis in our public education system and in the private
sector. California has a drop-out rate of 21%, due partly to
curriculum that does not engage all students. The crisis in the
private sector is partly driven by the current economic
recession, the worst since the Great Depression. In the
aerospace industry, there is an impending labor shortage of
skilled machinists. As a generation of baby boomers nears
retirement, employers confront a shortage of new workers to
replace them. This has significant potential to damage
California's economy, with thousands of aerospace companies and
related entities in Southern California alone." This bill is
intended to address the high school drop-out crisis and the
pending labor shortage in the aerospace industry by providing a
mechanism for high school students to receive hands-on training
in the machining skills needed to build aircraft.
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Existing CTE program funding : In recent years the state and
federal government have appropriated funding to CCC to
specifically support the continuation and development of CTE
programs, including:
1)SB 70 (Scott), Chapter 352, Statutes of 2005, allocated $20
million each year in 2005-06 and 2006-07 for the support of
CTE programs at middle schools, high schools, regional
occupational centers and programs, and CCCs.
2)SB 1133 (Torlakson), Chapter 751, Statutes of 2006, allocated
$32 million in 2007-08 and $38 million annually from 2008-09
to 2013-14 to expand CTE in middle schools and high schools by
hiring additional faculty to expand CTE program offerings.
3)The federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act
of 2006 (Perkins Act) provides California approximately $140
million annually to develop and implement programs to expand,
promote, and integrate academic and CTE programs and link
secondary and postsecondary education.
4)Tech Prep, funded through the Perkins Act, provided
approximately $8.9 million for CCC to expand CTE programs in
2008-09.
A CCC could submit an application for funds made available
through SB 70 to implement an aerospace machining program
similar to the Pilot Program established in this bill. The
committee may wish to consider whether the establishment of a
separate pilot program for aerospace machining is necessary.
NIMS certification : NIMS was formed in 1995 by the metalworking
trade associations to develop and maintain globally competitive
American workforce. NIMS establishes skills standards for the
industry, certifies individuals with required skills, and
accredits training programs. The NIMS examination is a two-part
process that involves the student performing hands-on machining
activities and completing an online text. The student is
required to have a test proctor, which, according to NIMS
representatives, could be a CCC employee. The cost to the
student for the NIMS Level I examination is approximately $35;
other level examinations have a slightly higher cost to the
student. If a student passes both portions of the test, NIMS
provides the student with a certificate. The author intends for
the CCC instruction for the Preapprentice Program to culminate
SB 747
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in the issuance of a NIMS or equivalent certificate. In order
to achieve this goal the author has offered the following
clarifying amendment:
Page 5, lines 19 through 31: (i) The Chancellor's Office of
the California Community Colleges system shall develop
preapprenticeship curriculum in aerospace technology, and
machining technology generally. The model curriculum shall
meet the standard for the awarding upon its conclusion of a
National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) certificate.
result in the issuance of a certificate of completion stating
that the holder has completed curriculum that meets the
National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) or equivalent
standard. Upon completion of the curriculum, community
colleges shall administer to students a NIMS or equivalent
examination which, if passed, will result in the issuance of a
NIMS or equivalent certificate. Individual colleges wishing
to participate in the pilot program established by this
section shall have the option of adopting the model curriculum
developed by the Chancellor's office or adopting an
alternative curriculum that meets the standard for the
certificate of completion. NIMS certification.
Assembly Education Committee amendments : As noted previously,
the author agreed to accept several technical and clarifying
amendments in the Assembly Education Committee that are to be
processed by this Committee. Those amendments include:
1)Ranking and Awarding Grants : Currently the bill requires the
CLWDA, in consultation with the CCCCO, to review and rank
applications submitted by CCCs for the Pilot Program and to
use certain criteria to rank them. The bill also requires the
CLWDA to use specified criteria when awarding the competitive
grants to CCCs. The bill establishes two different sets of
criteria to be used in the ranking of applications and in
awarding the competitive grants. The suggested amendments (1)
delete the requirement that CLWDA review and rank the
applications, and (2) incorporate certain ranking criteria
into the criteria to be used when awarding grants.
2)Evaluation : Currently, this bill requires each CCC to
complete an evaluation of its participation in the Pilot
Program and submit it to the CCCCO. However, there is no
requirement for the evaluation to be submitted to the
Legislature. The suggested amendments require the CCCCO to
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compile the information provided by the participating CCCs and
submit an evaluation to the Legislature by July 1, 2013.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Aerojet
Alcoa Fastening Systems
Allfast Fastening Systems, Inc.
Boeing
California Aerospace Technology Association
California Conference of Machinists
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
Engineers & Scientists of California, IFPTE Local 20
Lockheed Martin
Long Beach City College
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Professional & Technical Engineers, IFPTE Local 21
Nelson Aerospace, Inc.
Saturn Fasteners, Inc.
Sonic Industries, Inc.
State Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960